Snap flask mold conveyer with automatic jacket and weight shifter



Nov. 13, 195] Filed May 4. 1943 B. E. GAVIN, SR 2,575,103 SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER l2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 13, 1951 Filed May 4, 1948 B. E. GAVIN, SR

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEZYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER l2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 13, 1951 GAVlN, 5 2,575,103

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER Filed May 4. 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 13, 1951 a. E. GAVIN, fiR' 2,575,103

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER ITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER 12 SheetsSheet 4 Filed May 4, 1948 SR EYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER B. E. GAVIN SNAP FLASK MOLD CONV Nov. 13, 1951 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 4. 1948 Nov. 13, 1951 B. E. GAVIN, sR

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER l2 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 4. 1948 Nov. 13, 195] GAVIN, SR

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER l2 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 4, 1948 Nov. 13, 1951 a. E. GAVIN, SR 2,575,103

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER lled May 4, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 Nov. 13, 1951 B. E. GAVIN, SR

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER '12 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed May 4, 1948 Nov. 13, 1951 B. E. GAVIN, SR 2,575,103

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIF'TER med May 4. 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet 1o Z W a W nn n 8 Jun n fl w 3 4 A 9 w *9 Z HHH I I J) 1 5 6 J a a z Z llr 5 a M a 8 u. pun n W f7 FL w NOV.- 13, 1951 B GAVlN 5 2,575,103

SNAP FLASK MOLD CONVEYER' WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER FiledMay 4. 1948 l2 Sheets-Sheet 11 hun uh 12 Sheets-Sheet l2 1951 E. GAVIN, SR

SNAP FLASK OLD CONVEYER WITH AUTOMATIC JACKET AND WEIGHT SHIFTER Filed May 4. 1948 "the "pouring station.-

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 :SNAP FLASILMOLD CONVEYER wr'rn AUTO- MAI-Io JACKETZAND WEIGHT SHIFTER Beaufoi d E. Gavin, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind,, as isignor to'iNational- Malleable-and steel Castings Company, fileveland, Ohio, a corporation .of

Application May 4, 1948,: SerialNo; 24;978

(mazes-20) memos- {this invention i-relates :to snap flask -.mold1conweyors with iautomatic jacket'iand weight ishifters. V

In the use of san'd molds :for producing :the

:metal castings; it is the usual -practice to employ a snap flask in making the molds and to :replace the flasks -with jackets during pouring to prevent the metal g'frombursting :the molds. Before pouring ithe molds, weights are placed on the copes to hold them dowmagainst the lift *of the molten metal. I

When a'con-veyor is -employed for handling the molds, the path-of the conveyor extends past molding, pouring and shakeout stations. After they are produced, the molds, minus the snap -fiasks but supported by the bottom boards, are placed on-the cars or =trays of the conveyor. Jackets and weights of propergsize areapplied tothe molds whilethey are being conveyed to After the g'castings jihave *hard'ened sufiicientlyto relieve the molds of the pressure of'the molten metal, the lacketsfland weights are removed. The molds, after passing through a suitable cooling zone, finally reach the shakeout station where they are discharged {from the cars or trays onto suitable mechanism for effecting separation of the ,sand andeastring/s.

,From the above explanation, ,it will be .appre- ,ciated each casting that is produced by ,the snap flask mold process grequires a jacket and its Weightto be separately handled sveralgtimes.

For example, a jacket and weight Tof proper size first must be selected from their places of 1:i:ed to :the moldconveyorand applied -,tothe ;select ed ;m old limi app c e e pourin s ation. Second, ethegiacket andrweisht mustrbe remoyedxirom the me d. a p o l at n be w en e pour n and shakeout, stations. -Third ,-thewremoved jackno igh mu ih carried hack to said :places i e sto a e.

- ,ZA a a h jacket w i hs-in zthe zneighborhood ,of

69, poun s n ea h wei h about 1(10 pounds, san ias manual labor is employed ifOl handling the jackets and weights, it will'zibe appreciated 1 thatrseveral men :are required each :Workingshif :to perform this laborious-operation.

It further will -be.2appreciated that ,iobbing dorm-dries pf .a :size to-justify the use :of snap fl-ask mold I conveyors will ebeengaged each work {ling .shirt'llin the produotion oi -difijerent sized castiil'i s which will requireitheuse-ofyan equal numoer difierent sizes' =oi 'jao sctsand Weights;

These jackets {and weights must bekept in readi- .ness for rapid selection and Luse within the space defined by "the conveyor path to avoid productio n delay. This use offioor space inside .theconveyor path, obviously,.is anothergundesirableefeaturewgf .thistype zofoperation.

:lt is the primary object --of this invention to ,provide asnap fiaskimold conveyor 'lwith anautomat-i0 ijacket and weight-shifter which will efiect the saving of time and ;labor-;=andthe ireduQmg of ;-.pro.duction:costs in addition to lightening-the burden of the foundrymen I by eliminating a .1];-

-stantial amount .of heavy manual labor.

are carried toward :the pouring station, to .re-

move the jackets and weights from 'themourd moldsgas :they :approach @the lshakeoutistation,

.and to itransp'ort the jackets .and weights i-fr'om itheir point of :removal to their point of application, all in proper synchronism with 'irthe co'ntinuousxtravel of the cars or trays o'f1thes'nap flask-mold conveyor.

-Still another important object of the invention is to provide jacket and weightrshifter moonanism =ior a snap i'lask mold conveyor which will operate automatically to make .use of empty con- *veyorcars-or trays travellngto the pouring station as places of temporary or standby storage =-forjackets and weights with the =result {that floor space within the area defined by-the -conveyor path-need not -be-used "for this purpose.

Another primary object of' theinventionis the -provision' of jacket and weight shifter mechanism which "is'driven 'by *the chain of the-snap flask mold conveyor so the said mechanism will operate in --perfect synchronism with the l-travel of the cars or trays of the conveyor to apply jackets and weights :to the :molds with'ou t damaging; the latter.

A still "further lmportant Y object of -.-the invention is to provide a jacket and rweightishiiter mechanism forssnap flask moldeconveyors'which will-handle jackets and weights lof different sizes,

- the j acket and its -we'ight =firom each :poured mold :when the'latterreaches theshifiter mechanism.

A. :further object of the invention -isthe pmvision of a acke't ;and weight Jshifter mechanism 3 for a snap flask mold conveyor in which the shifter mechanism takes the form of a turntable carrying a plurality of circumferentially spaced grapple units with each grapple unit automatically functioning, during each complete revolution of the turntable, to remove a jacket and its weight from a poured mold as it arrives at a given location while traveling along one run of the conveyor path, to carry the removed jacket and its weight to another run of the conveyor path, and to apply the jacket and weight to an unpoured mold as it arrives at a given location while traveling along said last mentioned run.

Another object of the invention is to provide a continuously traveling snap flask mold conveyor with a jacket and weight shifter contlnuously driven directly fromthe mold conveyor.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a snap flask mold conveyor having an automatic jacket and weight shifter, the mold conveyor comprising "a continuous series of wheeled cars or trays, each one of which is of special design to support and to uniformly position any one of a series of difierent sized bottom boards for snap flask molds so that all of the molds carried by the bottom boards will be properly positioned with reference to the jacket and weight shifter to permit jackets and weights to be applied to and removed from the molds without damage to the latter.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a special design of snap flask mold conveyor chain'and a special design of drive sprocket for the turntable frame of the jacket and weight shifter so that the turntable will be driven in perfect synchronism with the mold conveyor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure '1 is a top plan view of the automatic jacket and weightshifter and th immediately associated portion of the snap flask mold conveyor embodying this invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l,- :Figure 3 is a vertical line 3-3 of Fig. 1, 1

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view-taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Figure 5 is a detail side elevational view of one of the grapple units that forms a part of the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism, Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on "lines (i -6 of Fig; 5,

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6,

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6,

Figure 9 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on'line 99 of Fig. 6,

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the pressure fluid system employed for actuating the several grapple units of the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism,

' Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view of the pres-, sure fluid system shown in detail in Fig. 10,

Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line l2-l2 of Fig. 13, and illustrates a 4-way valve that is employed as a part of the pressure fluid system illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11,

sectional view taken on amide v v 1 Figure 13 is a transverse sectional view taken on lines 13-! 3 of Fig. 12,

Figure 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 14-44 of Fig. 12,

Figure 15 is a fragmentary plan View of a .short section of the snap-flask mold conveyor of the snap flask mold conveyor illustrated in Fig. 15, I I

Figure 17 is a vertical sectional view taken on line l'!--l1 of Fig. 15,

Figure 18 is a bottom plan view of a mold jacket with its associated weight properly applied thereto,

Figure 19 is a similar view to Fig. 18 but illustrates a smaller size of jacket and its associated weight,

Figure 20 is a detail bottom plan view of the largest size of snap flask bottom board that can be used with the mold conveyor and automatic jacket and weight shifter embodying this invention,

Figure 21 is a similarview to Fig. 20 but illustrates the minimum size of snap flask bottom board, 1

Figure 22 is a diagrammatic view of the snap flask mold conveyor and jacket and weight shifter and illustrates the relationship that exists between the number of jacket and weight handling grapple units provided on the shifter mechanism and the number of mold carrying cars or trays incorporated in the snap flask mold conveyor, and

Figure 23 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the opening and closing operations of the several grapple units that form a part of the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shownthe preferred embodiment of this invention, and first particularly referring to Figs. 1 and 22, it will be noted this invention relates to a snap flask mold conveyor, designated in its entirety by the reference character A. which is made up of a series of wheeled cars or trays interconnectedby a suitable drive chain. The snap flask mold conveyor is laid out in an endless path that is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 22 as serving a pouring station B, a molding station C and a shakeout station D. The remainder of the path of the snap flask mold conveyor, from the end of the pouring station E to the shakeout station D, is employed for cooling the poured castings.

The invention further includes a jacket and weight shifter mechanism E which cooperates with the opposite runs of the snap flask mold conveyor. By considering Fig. 22, it will be seen the jacket and weight shifter mechanism E cooperates with the run of the conveyor path that serves the pouring station'B and the molding station C by being positioned between these two stations, and that the jacket and weight shifter mechanism E serves the other run of the conveyor path by being positioned at a suitable point or location relative to the cooling period for the poured castings.

As a brief explanation for the founding of metal castings by the snap flask mold method, it will be pointed out that the sand molds are first prepared at the molding station C by the use of snap flasks and separable bottom boards. As the molds are completed, they are placed on the cars of the conveyor A, minus the snap flasks which remain with the molders. The separable v.anism, such as: a vibratingshakeout screen,

..=mechanism includes a stationary. frame-formed se wtnos "rsbottomzboards are employed torhandling the prepared sand molds. l

. ZBefore-xpouring, zit is necessary' to :ehtslose the rmolds in ijackets :to: prevent I the molten "met'al --"rromr: bursting the imOldS. :Also,:to prevent 'the :smoltennnetal from lifting the cope on :of thedrag .portionzoffthe mold,.'.it issnecessary to applyaa ."lIWBlght to' the topsfofi'the' mold. The jacket an'd wweightsshifter :mechanism functions alto z-apply ithe jackets and' weights toithe 'imolds awhile the latter: are;.trav.eling from ithermolding station' C to.theizpouringstation B. .rAfter the molds :have ibeenepouredsandnha sheen carried a rsufiicient ..distance, or Irlen'gth of 1 time, zz bythea conveyortto allowirtheacastin suto efsetyorsharden:sufiiciently to relievetthe imblds f ieinternal "pressure 3 created obyi: thermolten metal, ethe :lackets .and-weightsaretremoved;byi theiautomatic jacket and weight shifter mechanismfE. zThis shifter'mechanism, alsorfunctions to; =trans- :Iport the. jackets; and rweighitsrfromitheinpoint of .jrremoyal from pouredzmoldstto; their pointzoizapr1; lication.to unpoured molds.

After--- the jackets ..andvweightsshave beenrretmoved, from. thezpoured molds.:.;the;:snap.;flask .-.mold:.-conveyor carries the'imfolds'throughzthere- *ma-inderof the pooling; period to the :shakeout station D where the molds are discharged from .the COIWByDI JCE-I'S" or trays onto a' suitable-mech- -which separates .the sand from ).the: castings. The: bottom boards, .;usually,' remain on the .cars 301': trays: of the snap. flask mold :conveyor when the ;molds and castings, are. dischargeiand are returned. to the mold ers: in this way.

Theautomatic jacket: and weight shiftermechanism-will bev described. first .because .it is more complicated than thesnap fiaskwmold-conveyor.

;By-. first referring. to. Figs. 1,. 2 and V 3, it:.will be seen. that the automaticjacket: andweight shifter by theiendnprights thatare suitablyzanchored at their; lower ends to the foundryrfiooribpj the i angle rmembers .26 and are a. suitably:,-intercon- (heated at their upper endsaby the-cross-beams .2]. Corner braces. 28 -are suitably connectedaat .their Opposite ends'to the uprightsiiand the press-beams 21. -.It will qbe=noted that .two

.,uprights25 are -provided. at;each end oi the: stationary frame andare arranged :in spaced paral- Ielism. 7 Consequently, two cross-beams 21 ,are ..provided for: connecting the-uppereends of the .two. pairsof uprights. 25. Crossebracing .plates 29 and angle members .38. are employed for interconnecting. the two parallel parts: of -the stationtary frameat the two uppercorners... g V

.fAt theirmiddle portions, thetwo cross-beams 1 21 have suitably attached thereto the ;upper trunnion "housing 3!. In .vertical, axial align- .ment with the upper. trunnion housing is alower jtrunnion housingi32 suitably attached to-an .elevated base 33. properly anchored to the foundry floor. These axially aligned trunnion housings A Junction torotatalolyv support the turntable frame I of the-automatic vj ack'et and weight shifter; mech- TFigfZ specifically illustrates the pintle"34 vas being .zjournaled in the lower 1 trunnion housing 332. The base portion of the .turntableframe" is ';bestillustrated infFigsQZ, 3 and 4 es consistingpf "the" lower and .upper'disc blates35"and;35, re-- '"spectively, which" are spaced vertically from each other to accommodate the inner end portions of f-the ten pairs of 'channelf irons 31. #JF igf l best llustrates" the -specific manner in- -which these r pairs or channelirons'radiate from thefiaxis'oi sthezzturntable: frame. The parallel plates 35; and F36; mithftheirf. interposed: pairs; of channel; irons l=. 31;=are" fastened-.ltortheflange ;of ,the lower: Pintle 13421937 azplurallty ofr bolts and nuts 38. I 5 .sAtzTtheir; outerzendzportionsthe pairsof-channettironsfil; havessuitablyattached to their lower --ctaces ithe"ring.;39. -:The;outside;-diameter of this xing: iszsuchithat it;:projects;radially outwardly iibeyond azthe router :extremities 0f :the pairs ;;of

14 channel :i-rons 3'! to form: an annular shelfithat gissemployed"for.:supporting the five sectors '40 -;of agilarge;:toothed sprocket. 1Bolts, or the like, it! are employed.forysecuringqthe sprocket-sec- .YtOI'SZtO'. their supportinggring 39. Figs. ,1-to--4,

" .15.:inclusive; illustrate the sprocket -;sectors 40 as :eachigbeing-provided with anarcuate rib 42 on ritsi top surface. :The tribe of all 1 of the sprocket -sectorsgcollectively giorm an: annular: raised-:surzia-ce; the function of which willbedescribed more :25:;plate.-:'36. :Figs; 2 and 311disclose filler plates.

:as ":being suitably connected to the peripheral ziportion, of the disc. plate36 and-to .the. lower 'sporltionsmf the vertical I-beams .143.

J-Eigs'l, 2and Bdisclose a top, disc'platei45qas .30 being suitably connected at its peripheral edge izto :the :upper end portions :of .the' vertical I- ,sbeams 43; Phil-len platestifiare.suitably attached *i'to'iand adepend 1 from 2 the peripheral portion 'of :,.the..-t0p disc-plate 45for bridging the spaceSrbe- ,;35 tweenand; for bracing the upper; end ;:portions "iOfi/thfl; verticalIi-beams .43.

xBy consideringFigs; land 3; itwillbe seen that a pairofparallelr channel irons 41 are supsportedjonzthestop discplate 45and extend en- 40 tirely across the turntable frame. to project :at

I their outer .end portions beyond the .periphery f thesprocketthat :is formed on the'base. por- -.tion';of theturntable frame by the five sectors. 40. iFigsr-laandfi illustrate two additionalpairs ofparallel,channel irons 48 that project radially =.of..:the :axis. of the. turntable frame at diametriscallynoppositez points. .The inner end portions 10f: zthesetwo. pairs of, channel irons 48 are sup- -.;ported=onwthe top disc plate 45 and hear at their inner extremities against the outer sides of the :it-Wo.:.channel.irons 41. Six additional pairs of gparallel channel irons 49 are supported at' their sin-nerend portions on the top disc plate A5: and rare! arranged .radiallyof the axis of the turn- ;table frame. 'It:.will. be seenuby inspecting Fig. .1: thatpthereare all .told ten pairs of radially --zprojecltinga arms; formed. by the several channel dirons tl, 48: andz laand that the outer end porqtionsvof each .one of these pairs ofarms project .-radiallyaoutwardly. beyond the periphery of the zsprooketiformed by the several sectors 40.

A 'iflangedring'tfl is suitably fastened to the f.-.topc.iacesrof:.all. of the-pairs of channel irons atlid and $49 for the purpose of'tying them rr-together.

'"Fourupwardlyconverging channel irons 5! care. connected-at their upper, adjacent ends to a' top-plate 52 andat the lower ends to the pairs ot channelirons '4? and 'dt to form a spiderfor =-supporting=*the pintle 53 that is=journaled"in the top trunnion housing 3 l. To further brace the apex of this top pintle supporting-spider,

"- 'twoeparallel,vvertical channelirons 54 are proided. "The-upper ends of thesedast-mentioned 15vchannelrirone-arev attached-to the top Plate--35! piston supporting plate 57.

'It now will be seen that a complete turntable frame has been described and this frame is supported for rotation about a vertical axis by upper and lower trunnion and pintle assemblies.

It will be remembered that the pairs of channel irons 41, 48 and 49 were described as forming ten pairs of radially projecting arms and that each pair of projecting arms is provided with a vertical I-beam 43. Ten mounting frames for grapple units are completed by attaching to the ten I-beams 43 and to the ten pairs of radial arms the ten pairs of horizontally, radially arranged angle irons 54 and the ten pairs of perpendicular channel irons 55. In other words, each pair of angle irons 54 have their inner ends suitably fastened to the opposite side flanges of a vertical I-beam 43 and their outer end portions attached to the lower ends of a pair of vertical channel irons 55. The upper ends of these channel irons are suitably fastened to the overlying pair of radial arms formed by the horizontally arranged pairs of channel irons 41, 48 and 49. Transverse angle braces 55 interconnect the outer, lower corners of the mounting frames that are formed by the points of interconnection of the pairs of horizontal angle irons 54 and the pairs of vertical channel irons 55.

By inspecting Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, and 6, it will be seen that the outer end portions of each pair of radial arms, formed by the pairs of channel irons 41, 48 and 49, have mounted thereon a plate 51 which is employed for supporting a double-acting, pressure fluid piston and cylinder unit 58. These piston and cylinder units extend perpendicularly and have their piston rods 59 arranged to extend downwardly between the associated pairs of radial arms. By referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 6, it

will be seen that the lower extremity of each piston rod 59 has rigidly fastened thereto a yoke 60. This yoke has depending from its opposite sides the two parallel guide bars 5! which are illustrated as being connected at their lower ends by the bolt 62 and the spacer sleeve 83. Fig. 5 best illustrates the guide bars 6| as having suitably fastened to the outer faces of their upper end portions the oirset mounting lugs 64.

Fig. 6 best illustrates the opposite end portions of each yoke 80 as being provided with smooth bored holes 65 for loosely receiving the threaded portions 68 of the two parallel guide rods 6! that extend perpendicularly for passing through the smooth bored holes 68 formed in the cylinder and The threaded portion 68 of each one of the guide rods 6'! has adjustably-threaded thereon the pair of lock-nuts 69. These adjustable lock-nuts function as stops for the upward movement of the piston rod ac-' tuated yoke 60 relative to the guide rods 51.

The upper threaded ends of the guide rods 61 have adjustably mounted thereon the pairs of lock-nuts 10 which function to limit the downward movement of the guide rods relative to the top plate 51. Suitable cushionin washers II are interposed between the opposite end portions of the yoke ii!) and the guide rod carried lock-nuts 69 and between the top plate 51 and the pairs of 7 guide rod carried lock-nuts 70 to absorb impact shocks.

The lower ends of the guide rods '61 are threadedly connected to the top plate 12 of a fabrisated, box-like slide that additionally includes 0f the box-like slide.

'35 supporting rods 8|.

.8 the parallel side plates 13 and the parallel end plates 14.

By inspecting Figs. 7 and 8, it will be seen that the side plates 13 of the box-like slide are pro- 5 vided with vertical grooves I5 to receive the parallel channel irons 55 which form a part of the previously described grapple unit mounting frame. In other words, these parallel channel irons 55 act as guides for the vertical movements The side walls 13, additionally, areprovided with vertical grooves 'Hito receive the guide bars 61 that were described as being attached at their upper ends to the yoke 60. It will be apparent, therefore, that the boxlike slide is permitted to move lengthwise of the parallel guide bars GI and to be limited in its relative movement in one direction by the spacer I sleeve 63 and in the other direction by the yoke Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6 best illustrate the offset lugs 64 as having pivotally connected to their lower ends the pairs of links 71 which in turn are connected at their outer ends to the lever arms 18 pivotally mounted on the box-like slide by the transverse pin 19. These same figures disclose the outer ends of the lever arms 18 as having rigidly fastened thereto the two grapple arms 80.

Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, best illustrate the end walls 14 of the box-like slide as having horizontally movable therethrough the two supporting rods 8| which have fastened to their inner end portions the single grapple arm 82. A plate 83 is fastened to the outer ends of the two parallel An adjusting screw 84 is shouldered at its outer end portion to bear against the supporting rod connecting plate 83 While an operating knob 85 is fastened to the reduced end of the screw 84 for clamping the plate 83 against the shoulder of said screw. The threaded portion of the screw '84 is threadedly connected to the outerend wall 14 of the box-like slide.

It will be apparent, therefore, that by rotating the operating knob 85, the supporting rods 8| may {5 be moved longitudinally relative to the box-like slide for adjusting the setting or position of the inner grapple arm 82. This grapple arm can be adjusted between the limits illustrated by the solid line and the broken line positions of Fig. 6.

This adjustment is desirable to accommodate mold jackets and Weights of difierent widths.

The operation of each one of the ten grapple units can best be described by specifically referring to the disclosure of Fig. 6.

It will be understood that the inner grapple arm 82 is set or adjusted to a proper position to handle a given sized jacket and weight and. is left in that adjusted position until its grapple unit is required to handle a diiferent sized jacket and weight. It will be considered, therefore, that the grapple arm 82 is set in its solid line position of Fig. 6 for handling the smallest size of mold jacket and its weight.

Fig. 6 illustrates a solid line position for the 55 two grapple arms 80, a broken line position for these arms in which they are swung outwardly. and a broken line position for the grapple arms 1 80 raised above the solid line position. It will be noted-that the single grapple arm 82, also, is illustrated in a broken line, elevated position in ported on .the top plate 5'! and the piston rod 59 :is positioned Withiits yoke 60 engaging the cushion members 1|.forthe lock-nuts 69.. ;:Further outward movement .of -.the piston .ilOd e59 relative to the cylinder and piston unit :58 causes the yoke -60 to .move 1 downwardly a away from the lock-nuts 69. .Thisadownward movement is relative to the guidexrrodsl fil'and the box-like slide that is supported by the :guide rods. continue until 1 it engagesand -iss.stoppedrby the box-like slide. This downward amovement not the yoke 60 causes the-.,grapple armsi=8li to.=swing outwardly: in-to their angularly-arranged, broken line position as .a .result :of the 1 connections :that are. established'between: the; yoke 60: and the inner ends of the lever arms 18 .by theriofiset. lugs-:6 and. the, pairs: of links 11.

When the. set of. grapplearms 1'80 and 82.a;re to.be actuated'to seize and: lift a mold jacket and. its weight, pressure-fluid is admitted totthe lower end or .the cylind-errand .piston unit 358 to bring'about retraction of. itspiston rod-59. Upward movement ofxthei pistonaro'd first'scauses the: grapple arms :80 .to swing ;into1theirr sol-id line position. lIhisimovementof tithe grapple arms 80 is effected:byuupward;zmoyementzof the yoke =60 :relativeitoxthe.stationary-guide rods 6'! .until that-yoke engages-the cushion members 1 I backed upvby the pairs.of iloclc-nutsi 69 "Further :retracting movement "of .the'tpiston rod 59 causes :the .':yoke :60 to :raise :.the guide ro'ds 6'1 .and'the boxelike slider'atta ched:to the lowerr-ends of these-rods. iThisilifting of the boxelike :sl'ide, :causes atthe. grapple arms 1 80 and 82" to "move .upwardly .froinatheir; solid .line'rpositions to their uppen broken line positions. This upper movement :of thezsetxofsgrapplee arrns =litts the'imol'd. jacket; and its weightroff of thermold.

When the lifted 'jacket and weight are to the placed .011 "another ::mo1d, :the application .of

pressure flui'd to the cylinder: and piston :unitris reversed i. e., pre'ssure"fluid is admitted to the upper .endiof the cylinderland is exhaustedifrom the lower end. :This aplicatiori rofzfiuid ressure brings. about:downward movementrof :thetpiston rod 59 with .the guiderro'ds 67 r iand the JbQX-rlikfl slidecsupported: on? theiyo'ke 6 i intil ;the1.cushion members l l supported "by the top ':plate I :are engaged by thetp'airsof .lock nuts. '10. This engagement stops the downward .movement :of the guide rods 61 aridzthe:hoxelikesslide. Further downward movement of:the':piston' rodi59 causesthe yoke 6 0: to'moveidownwardlyover: the threaded portions 66 of the guide rods 6? and.'loi'irigs about outward:swingingsmovement off the grapple arms;80.

.It will be SGEIlithBilOOk-ITLUJS "moan bezadjuste'd: on the upper endssof the guide rods 6'l'toi'raise or lower "the 'lower ends of the grapple; arms 80 and 82 when they are in their solid :line positions. .Thelower .en'dsl0f' the grapple aarms shoul'dbe so positioned that'they wilPprdperly handle mold jackets and their weights when th'e" jacketsare placed directly on. the conveyor cars; that is, without either .mol'ds or bottom {boards being present. It, "also; will beseenthe locks nuts'69 can be adjusted along the threaded portions 66 of the guide rods 61 to yary'theextent" to whichthefgrapple arms-80"will' be swung outwardly.

As has been noted abovegthere-are ten grapple units carried by the turntable frame in circ'um ferentially spacedrelation. It is to Y beun'derstood that the inventionis not limited to this exact number c'if grap'ple un'itsl because agreat- Downward movement of the yoke can provided with aidoupleeactin'gs pressure .nuid cylinderl and piston 11mit' 58. The ten cylinder and piston units are illustrated inperspective in i 'igiiio anddiagrammaticail in Fig. :11. Figs. 1, 2 and 3 iliustrate the tenr cylinder and piston units '58 assembled on the "turntable i frame I of the automatic Jacket and weig-ht shifter mechamsm.

Because the diametrically opposite grapple units areto 'beoperated' in the reverse order;

' i. e., one grapple-unit operating to seize and lift a jacket and its weightwhile the diametrically opposite grappie unit is'operating to lower and releasea acket and its'weight, it is only necessary to employ "-five i-way valves 'Bif-to eitect"tnis' type of control. "Thesevalvesare illustrated Figs. 1 2fand' 3 as being mounted on angle track et {81 attached to the associated pai s ofradial arms 'thatareforme'd by the pairs'of channel members 41, 48 and A9. Itwill be notedby' considering these several figures {that the five valves 86' are positioned 'adjacentfive oil the cylinderand ;pistonunits? V Pressure :fluid, obtained from asuitablesource of supply, "not J shown, preferably at g a pressure of from to poundsper square inch, isde- 'livered to, the stationary, main feed pipe8 fllus-l trated in Figs. 2 arid'3 as extending downwardly through the stationary, upper trunnion housing 3| and throughtheboreof the upper, rotatable. pintle 5:3 for connectiongwith'a suitable rotary P s ure. joint 8 T e e r a ab t i I! of this pressure joint 89 is connected hy suitablej coupling members and nipples tothe five branch teed 1ines 90 that extend to and are connected with the inletportsQl oftheffive valves86.

Each. one of the valves has twoputlet ports thatare identified .bythe reference characters 92 and 93, and oneexhaust port 94.. Eachvalve outlet 92 has, piping 95gconnected thereto that extends'to and is connecte'dwiththe lowerend of the cylinder .and piston unit 58. thatis positioned adjacent thatvalve86, and thatalso extends to and is connectedwith the upperendpf the piston and cylinder unit 58 that is positioned diametricallyppposite the first. mentioned.cylinder and piston. unit. The outlet 93 of each valve is connectedbysuitable piping 96 to the .upper end of the, piston .and.cylinder .unit 53 that is positioned'adjacent that valve and extends.to and is connected with the lowerend of the piston and cylinder. unit that is .positioned diametrically opposite. the.first mentioned cylinder. and piston unit.

Each. delivery piping .95'and 9G.has connected inithe same, relativelyclose' to its .pointof connection'with the endofj'a oylinder'and piston unit, what'is commercially known as a speed'control valve 91. 'These valves are l-way'actingin that they'can-be settd control the rate of flow of the pressure fluid in one direction while penmitting full capacity flow of the pressure fluid in the opposite direction. All of the speed control valves 91 are set or adjusted for a predetermined, reduced rate of flow toward the adjacent ends of their cylinder and piston units 58 while permitting full or unreduced flow away from their cylinder and piston units. By operating in this way, it is possible to regulate the speed of travel of the pistons for the units 58 in both of their directionsof movement.

The detail construction of each one of the 4-way valves 86 is disclosed in and will be described in connection with Figs. 12 to 14, in-

clusive.

This valve includes a main casing portion 98 that is closed at its .outer end and is provided with a cover plate 99 at its inner end. This cover plate is formedwith the pressure fluid inlet port 9I that is connected to the branch delivery pipe 90. A duct I delivers the pressure fluid from the inlet port 9| to the distribution chamber IOI that is formed in the closed end portion of the main casing 98. The interior of the main casing portion 98 is hollow and is in open communication with the exhaust port 94 that opens to the atmosphere.

The distribution chamber IOI is in open communication with two ducts I02 and I03 for supplying pressure fluid to the two reciprocating valve sleeves I04 and I05. respectively. The construction of both of these valve sleeves is the same and for that reason a detail description of sleeve I05 and its associated parts will suffice for both.

The valve sleeve I05 is illustrated in Fig. 13 as having an enlarged bore I06 for establishing communication between the radial ports I01 and I08 when the sleeve is in the position illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. The radial ports I01 communicate with the delivery duct 93 while the radial ports I08 communicate with the duct I03. When considering the sleeve valve I 04. the radial ports I01 communicate with the duct 92 while the radial ports I08 communicate with the duct I02. It will be appreciated. therefore, that when either of the valve sleeves I04 or I05 is in the position of valve sleeve I05 in Fig. 13. pressure fluid will be delivered from the distribution chamber IOI through the duct !02 or I03 and the ports I08 into the bore I06 of the valve sleeve and from this bore through the the ports I01 into the duct 92 or 93. depending upon which valve sleeve is being considered, for delivering the pressure fluid to either the iping 95 or the piping 96.

Fig. 13 illustrates valve sleeve I 04 oppositely positioned to the position shown for valve sleeve I05. When either one of the valve sleeves is in the position of sleeve I04 in Fig. 13. the radial ports I01 are uncovered so they communicate with the hollow interior of the valve casing part 98 with the result the duct 92 or 93. depending upon the valve sleeve being considered, will be placed in communication with the exhaust duct 94. Spring I 09 is associated with valve sleeve I04 only and functions to normally position both valve sleeves as shown in Fig. 13.

The reciprocating valve sleeves I04 and I05 are connected to the operating rods H0. The outer ends of these operating rods are pivotally connected to the rockable head III of the actuating lever I I2 that is pivotally mounted at I I3 on the valve casing part 98. The actuating lever H2 is provided with a roller H4 at its outer end which is adapted to engage the arcuate cam rail II5. I

This arcuate cam rail I I5 is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as extending slightly over 180 around the turntable frame and as being supported by the depending arms IIB which are attached at their upper ends to the channel irons II'I supported by the cross beams 21 of the stationary frame. In other words, the arcuate cam rail H5 is stationary and is positioned as illustrated in Fig. 1.

By considering Fig. 13, it will be seen that when the actuating lever I I2 of a valve 86 does not have its roller II4 engaging the arcuate cam rail II5, the spring I09, positioned within the valve housing and operatively associated with the sleeve valve I04, will function to position the valve operating lever II2 as illustrated.

When the roller II4 of a valve actuating lever I I2 engages the cam rail I I5, the condition of the associated valve 86 will be reversed to that illustrated in Fig. 13. That is to say, the valve sleeve I04 will be depressed against the force of the spring I09 and the valve sleeve I05 will be moved outwardly. When the roller II4 of the valve actuating lever II2 again runs off of the cam rail II5, the spring I09 will return the .valve to the condition illustrated in Fig. 13.

By considering Figs. 11 and 13, it will be seen that when a valve lever I I2 is in the position illustrated in Fig. 13, the valve will be conditioned to bring about pressure fluid flow in the direction indicated by the broken arrow lines applied to each valve in Fig. 11. That is to say, fluid will flow from the delivery branch line 90 to the inlet port 9| of the valve and through the valve sleeve I05 to the delivery port 93. From this port the pressure fluid will flow through the piping 96 to the upper end of the cylinder and piston unit positioned adjacent the valve 86 being discussed, and also through the piping 96 to the lower end of the cylinder and piston unit that is positioned diametrically opposite the first referred to cylinder and piston unit. With the pressure fluid flowing through each valve 86 in the direction indicated by the broken arrow lines of Fig. 11, the cylinder and piston unit 58 closely positioned to the valve in question will have its space below the piston exhausted through the piping while the cylinder and piston unit positioned diametrically opposite the first mentioned cylinder and piston unit will have the space above its piston exhausted through the piping 95. The exhausted pressure fluid will flow into the valve 86 through the port 92 and out of the valve through the exhaust port 94.

The snap flask mold conveyor cooperating with the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism that has just been described in detail best can be understood by specifically referring to Figs. 15 to 17, inclusive, along with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

The general path of the mold conveyor is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 22. This path is defined by the parallel track rails I20 which are supported at a proper elevation and at suitably spaced intervals by the legs I2I. A desired number of two-wheeled car trucks I 22 are supported on the rails I20, at suitably spaced intervals, for travel therealon'g.

Each one of these trucks is illustrated in Figs. 15 to 17, inclusive, as including a main, fabricated frame I23 which is of box-like construction and is provided with two laterally projecting mounting arms I24. A non-rotatable, transverse shaft I25 passes through each frame I23 and functions to rotatably support the truck wheels I26 on r mmetrated, in Fig. 17, the wheels I26, are properly spaced from each other to rest upon the treads of: the: parallel tracks I20.

The laterally projecting truck frame arms- I24 are. employed for pivotally connecting, by. means of the pins I2 8,.a car top or tray I29 to the truck- This pivoted car top or tray is further supported onqthe. truck frame I23 by means of the cooperating-or registering rib I30, carried by. the car top I29, andthe plate I3 I, carried by the truck frame I232.

The free end of the pivoted truck top I29, is proridedwith a lateral projection I32 employed for'supportinga roller I33 through the-medium of the depending lug I34 and .the pin I35. This roller Iii is'employed to elevatethe car top I29, about the-pivot pins I28, to effect dumping of the sand mpltt and its casting at the shakeout station D, see-Fig, 22. This tilting or elevating ofthecar top. I29 is accomplished by the engagement of the-.roller I331 with a suitably shaped cam, not.

of the treads of theparallel' track rails I20 to maintain the truck wheels I26 -registering with and-etraveling on said-rails.

Figs. 15' and 16 best illustrate each outside link I3 1 of the drive chain as havinglrigidly fastened thereto,- by means of the pairs of bolts'and nuts m; theguardorshield p1at Fi s. 15 and 16 show the plates I II as being ofsuflicientl.

lengtnto-overlap and-underlie the adjacent edge portions of the associated car tops I29. These twol figures also illustrate the. plates -I4 I as hav ing upstandingendi flanges I42- which cooperate-- withthe flanges I43 of the-car tops le -to pre-- vent the passage of. foreign matter, such as spilled metal, mold sand; or. the like, lengthwise of the mold conveyor towardthe car-trucks. It

will beseen that the-plates I41, also, function to protect the. chain joints from mold sandand-- spilled metal.

-B'y particularly consideringFigs. 2 to 4, inclusi've, it will beseen that the outside track rail I20 is curved outwardly on-opposite sidesof theturnv table frame ofthe-automaticijacket and weight shifter mechanism so as tocarry thesnap flask.

mold-conveyor carsaround the base portion of said turntable frame.

The inside track rail I 20 isinterrupted 'or -is cut-off adj acent the periphery of the base-sprocket of-theturntable frame so that the ends ofthis inside rail will clearthe-teeth llhof the-sprocket.

Tosupport the inside truck-wheels I26 while travcling over the opposite sectorsof the turntablesprocket, arcuate rail strips I44 are provided. These stationary rail stripsare -suitably;joined at their' outer ends' t'o the cutoff endsof the inner trackyrail iZiI-and are supportedbythe v annular, upstanding rib cz-that was previously describedas beingformedon; the sectors 48 off theturntable framesprocKet. These rail'stripsj I44 are best illustrated in Figs .,2, ,3j andj4;

I Figs... 3 and. illustratdthe guide. rolls- I39,

which weredescribed asbeing'journaled on thef= jointlpins.ofsthe-conveyor drivechain, as mesh ing. with the teeth lfixofa the turntable sprocket;

It will be appreciated, therefore, that the snap.

flask moldconveyorchain, which is driven by. anysuitable form' of drive mechanism, not shown,

is employedffor rotating the turntableframe, and:

its grapple units, in proper synchronism with the travel of the snap flask mold conveyor cars- This synchronized operation of the automatic jacket and" weight shifter mechanism relative to the and properly applied to unpoured molds without.

damaging the molds.

It, also, isvery important that the mold conveyor cars be arranged exactly diametrically op.-

posite each other when-they are positioned on opposite sides of the turntable frame of the auto! matic; jacket and weight shifter mechanism.

This. point is best illustrated in the diagrammatic; showing of Fig. 22 in which the cars of the conveyor are arbitrarily numbered from 1 to 10, ins

elusive, and the grapple units of the turntable frame are similarly numbered. It will be seem that the conveyor cars bearing numbers I and 6 should be diametrically opposite each other when sprocket.

registration of the conveyor cars on opposite sides of'the turntable frame, an adjustment is. provided for the left-hand turn or bend of the; conveyor, as seen in Fig. 22. In other words, by anchoring the turntable frame so that it will not,

rotate, and by properly positioning and holding conveyor car B at the exact median positionillustrated in Fig. 22, adjustment of the left-hand.

bend or'turn'of the conveyor path in the proper direction will causeconveyor car I to be prop,- erly positioned at the opposite median position; or exactly diametrically opposite car 6. Any ordinary tensioning of the conveyor chain, to

take care ofweaiwor the like, is accomplished by.

theadjustment indicated at the right-hand end.

of the conveyor path shown in Fig. 22.

It will beremembered from the detail description of the grapple unit illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9,, inclusive, that the non-pivoting, inside grapplearm 82.is adjustable radially of the turntable frame-.toaccommodate jackets and weights-of: different sizes while the pivoted grapple arms 88 are not adjustable for jacket size. It will be ap:- preciated,,therefore, that molds of different sizes mustbe uniformly positioned on the conveyor: cars-sothat their outer sides, regardless of the difference in the' sizes-of the molds, must bear'a given relationship to the outer, pivoted grapple arms 88.

This uniform positioning of. all of the molds on the :conveyor cars is accomplished through the" medium of the bottom boardsthat are employed. for supporting the molds after-the snap flasks"; havebeen removed. Fig. 20 discloses' the maxi-.-

mumor largest size bottom board while Fig. 21 shows the minimum: or smallest size bottom board that can be used. Figs. 16 and 17 show.

in brokenlines thesesame two extremes in bot-: tomboard sizes. It will benotedthateach bot- Figs. 15 to 17, inclusive, disclose each car top I25 as having a pair of bottom board positioning pins I52 projecting above its top surface. These pins will enter one pair of bottom board grooves II and the bottom board is properly positioned when the conveyor car pins I52 occupy the inner ends of the grooves.

The construction of the different sized jackets and their weights is best illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, 18 and 19. Fig. 18 illustrates the maximum or largest size of jacket and its weight while Fig. 19 illustrates the minimum or smallest size.

. Each mold jacket I53 has a relatively long gripping lug I54 fastened to its outer, longitudinal side which is intended to cooperate with the two grapple arms 80 of the grapple unit that is adjusted to handle the jacket. The opposite longitudinal side of each jacket is provided with a gripping lug I55 that is formed with a bottom recess I56 for accommodating the single, inner grapple arm 82 of the grapple unit which is adjusted to handle the mold jacket being considered. It will be noted by particularly inspecting Figs. 6, 18 and 19 that each recess I56 is not only rounded in plan but has its side walls beveled. This construction is provided to accommodate the rounded lower end of the grapple arm 82 and to assure uniform or duplicate positioning of each jacket relative to its cooperatin grapple arm 82.

Each jacket I53 is provided with two longitudinally outwardly projecting ears I5! at one end and one longitudinally outwardly projecting ear I58 at its other end. Each one of these ears I51 and I58 is provided with an upstanding pin I59.

Each weight ISO is provided with three conical recesses IGI in the bottom surface of each end portion. These recesses are intended to act as sockets for receiving the pins I59 that project upwardly from the ends of the jack-ets I53. In other words, the two outer recesses IGI at one end of the weight will receive the pins I59 carried by ears I51 while the center recess I6I will accommodate the pin I59 carried by the ear I58. This engagement of the pins I59 in the recesses I5I of the weights assures proper positioning of the weights when they are removed from the tops of the sand mold by the upwardly traveling jackets associated therewith.

The mode of operation of the snap flask mold conveyor and automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism embodying this invention now will be described.

It was pointed out above that the grapple units of the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism can be adjusted or set to handle different sized jackets and their weights for use with a corresponding number of different sized molds. It is possible to adjust or set the illustrated number of grapple units so they will handle a maximum of ten different sizes of jackets and their weights. The maximum number of different sizes of jackets and weights that can be handled at one time is limited by the number of grapple units that are mounted on the turntable frame. Of course, any desired smaller number of different sizes of jackets and weights can be handled at any time. It will be appreciated, therefore, that if the turntable frame were sufiiciently increased in diam- 16 eter, twelve grapple units could be assembled therearound and up to twelve different sizes of jackets and weights could be handled. By .the

same token, fourteen different sizes of jackets and weights could be handled if the turntable frame were made large enough to accommodate fourteen graple units, while only eight different sizes could be handled if only eight grapple units were assembled around the turntable frame.

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings bestillustrate the manner in which five different sizes of jacket and weights are handled by the snap flask mold conveyor and the automatic jacket and weight shifter mechanism. These five different sizes are designated by the reference characters SI, S2, S3, S4 and S5, reading from the smallest size jacket and its weight to the largest size.

It will be appreciated that the inner grapple arms 82 for the several grapple units. will travel circular paths of different diameters, depending upon the sizes of jackets and weights they are set to accommodate. The outer grapple arms 80,

however, will all follow the same irregular path' or pattern, regardless of the differences in the sizes of jackets and weights being handled.

Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 23 clearly illustrate the irregular path followed by all of the outer grapple arms 80. This path of travel is represented by line G in Fig. 23.

be understood that a jacket and its weight of the size designated by the reference character S3 has been applied to an unpoured mold and the cam Starting with point P on this line, which point is further illustrated in Fig. 1, it will rail H5 has actuated the proper valve 86 to:

effect delivery of the pressure fluid to the upper:

end of the cylinder and piston unit 58- of the,

grapple unit at point P to cause its outer grapple.

unit in question to cause the piston rod 59 to be This retracted suificiently to move the outer grapplearms downwardly into parallelism with the' associated inner grapple arm 82, or into the position illustrated in solid lines in Fig. 6.

It will be seen by considering Figs. 1 and 23 that a poured mold, with its casting hardenedv sufliciently to remove the internal pressure from the mold, has been presented to the grapple unit at the position indicated by P in Fig. 23 by the snap flask mold conveyor A.

While the outer grapple arms 80 of a given grapple unit move from point P to point P ,-0n line G of Fig. 23, the pressure fluid continues to .be delivered to the lower end of the associated cylinder and piston unit 58 to cause the grapple arms 80 and 82 to be raised to lift first the jacket and then the weight from the poured mold. By

the time the grapple arms 80 have traveled from point P to point P on line G of Fig. 23, the

jacket and its associated weight have been lifted entirely clear of the poured mold. This is further illustrated in Fig. 1.

point P In other words, the removed jacket and its. 

